


Of Losing Hope And Winning A War

by gnarf



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Dark Mark Removal, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Happy Ending, Hogwarts Seventh Year, Horcruxes, M/M, Mentions of Death, Not Canon Compliant - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, POV Draco Malfoy, Powerful Harry, Self-Doubt, communication via magical artifact, mentions of torture, nagini getting stabbed, out of character slytherins (not supporting the dark side), plotting Harry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-08
Updated: 2019-07-08
Packaged: 2020-05-16 10:28:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 19,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19316332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gnarf/pseuds/gnarf
Summary: With the Dark Lord living in the Manor and no way to escape, Draco felt lost, trapped in a nightmare.He couldn't know things were about to change for him. But first he had to lose all of what was left of his hope.





	Of Losing Hope And Winning A War

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt No 33, Be Prepared - The Lion King  
> Thank you at my prompter, who was anon, for prompting this! I love the lion king!  
> Also thank you at my other wireless mods for their great work and for running this fest with me! I'd be lost without you, because we all know I'm only the one reminding you to do stuff while you do the stuff :D
> 
> And a HUGE thanks to my beta drarryismymuse, who worked very hard and suffered through my whole writing process and all the idea bouncing! I love you a lot! 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this fic. Have fun!

* * *

 

“So! Everyone ready?” Moody bellowed over the sound of the wind and Hagrid's bike. “We have fifteen minutes. As soon as we arrive we have to get Potter and leave, no chatter, there'll be time for that later!”

“We heard this at the Burrow already, Mad Eye, no need to tell us again,” Arthur called back, gripping his broom tighter.

It was already getting dark. Once they got Harry and set out again it would be pitch black, hopefully granting them a safe way out of Little Whinging. As for now, everything was working according to plan but something about this mission still seemed off.

A dark feeling had settled on them the second they left the Burrow, only increasing the nearer they got to Harry. The group was silent, everyone concentrating on what needed to be done and how crucial it was that they didn't fail.

Arthur still remembered this feeling from the first wizarding war, the tickle of his nerves whenever he had to leave for a mission, not knowing if he'd make it back home. He knew when to trust his guts, and knew when it was time to escape. The only thing he couldn't have prepared for is how much worse all of this was when his own kids were on the same mission as him. For their entire lives he had feared for them, but never as much as when they had joined the Order; memories of the families they had lost were still fresh in his mind even though years had passed by. But he couldn't get distracted by fear—not tonight.

Tonight, everything depended on getting Harry out of his Muggle home and safely to the Burrow.

Far below lights came into view and the group tensed up even more, if that was even possible. Moody took the lead and everyone followed him towards the ground, looking around to see if they could spot anything suspicious. But the sky was clear and the only people still on the streets at this late hour didn't look up while hurrying towards their homes. A few seconds later they all landed safely in a small garden, the patch of grass brown from the burning July sun.

Ron and Hermione immediately stormed off towards the door, but were quickly called back by Moody before Arthur could do so.

“Don’t storm in like the brainless Hippogriffs you are! Wands out! We move together!”

Arthur pulled out his wand and pushed Ron and Hermione behind him. When they entered the house the lights were on in nearly every room, and a shudder ran through his body. The only noise to be heard was the ticking of a clock in the living room. But besides that—silence.

“Harry?” Hermione asked anxiously, but there was no answer.

“Split up, search the house, see if you find anything. Be careful! This could be a trap!” Moody whispered to them.

Doing as told, they split and searched room after room but found nothing. Arthur took a look around the living room, remembering the last time he was here. The fireplace he had fixed was now gone, blocked by a concrete wall of stone, and probably filled all the way to the top of the chimney with rubble as far as he could guess. He trusted those Muggles would fill the chimney with explosives if that meant they'd never get visitors from the wizarding world anymore.

But besides that Arthur couldn't find anything extraordinary. Nothing explained where Harry had gone, and nothing here showed any signs of a fight either. There was no way to explain Harry's absence.

Until a horrible scream from the upper floor made them all jump and run towards it.

* * *

 

Draco could hear the screams all the way up in his rooms. He didn't want to know what was happening down there; didn't want to know who it was this time. He wanted to flee, but couldn't; he was trapped in his own home with no way out except death. And even if he could find a way out he had no place to go, nowhere to hide from what was happening here.

He wasn't even allowed to return to Hogwarts when the new term started in a few weeks because the Dark Lord had other plans for him. He said Draco would be of more of use if he stayed at the Manor. But the only use Draco had in this house was to be tormented by the other guests of his _Master_.

Tonight there would be another meeting, another jumble of memories to collect and never forget. The last time they had a big meeting, Professor Burbage was killed and plans were made to get their hands on Potter. Tonight would probably be another round of punishing people for not being able to capture Potter. The only thing Draco was slightly happy about was that the Dark Lord hadn't sent him on _that_ mission.

He was instructed to stay at home with his mother while his father probably died out there. Not that his death would make any difference; his father wasn't better than any other snatcher in the Dark Lord's eyes. He had failed too often.

Throwing himself onto his bed he ignored the rumble coming from his stomach and closed his eyes. He knew his mother would wake him for the meeting; she wouldn't allow him to be late and make their situation even worse. Allowing himself to take a few deep, calming breaths Draco told himself that at least he wouldn't hear the noises from downstairs if he was asleep, and that had to be something.

When he woke up again it was nearly dark outside. At some point his elf had brought him something to eat, and Draco considered tasting it, but then he remembered the meeting and what would likely happen if he ate something before. If he was still hungry afterwards he could always eat then.

Dragging himself out of his bed, he got dressed and then slipped out of his rooms.

He only made it a few steps into the dark corridor before his arm started to burn with so much force that he sank to his knees, gasping for air.

They were being summoned, all of them. Whatever had happened tonight, it couldn't be good if all of them had to appear by the Dark Lord’s side.

As he tried to get up he could hear someone rushing towards him but he was in so much pain he couldn't make out who it was. His arm still burned and all he saw was blackness, he knew the pain would take him out if it didn't stop.

“Draco! Get on your feet, quick! The Dark Lord has called us! We must hurry!” his mother's worried voice billowed through the darkness confounding his mind.

“I can't—argh—make it stop! It's too much!”

“You have to, my dear. Please, Draco, get up.” His mother tried to pull him up, careful to not touch his arm, and Draco finally obeyed her.

He felt a glamour rush over his skin, cast by his mother to hide the terrible state he was in, and Draco felt a rush of gratitude towards her. He knew without her help he would already be dead.

By the time they arrived at the ballroom Draco had regained most of his control. Holding his head as high as he could he led his mother towards their places. There wasn’t be enough room for everyone who had been summoned, but Draco hoped he would be able to spare himself the indignity of making space for any scum that would turn up.

The room got crowded way too quickly for his liking—to the point where it was hard for him to breathe. The stench of dirt and sweat, mixed with the everlasting smell of blood and fear that never left this room no matter how often the elves opened the windows, was nearly too much to bear.

The tension in the air was thick enough to cut, but nobody dared to speak a word. All eyes were searching the room, searching for a clue as to why they had all been summoned. After what felt like years, the doors at the far end finally opened and Draco suppressed a shudder.

The Dark Lord stepped in, his face an unreadable mask, accompanied by Nagini as he always was. Forcing a path through the waiting people, he took his seat at the front of the table and sighed as he looked around.

“As I can see, we're nearly complete. Good. Very good, indeed. The ones who aren’t here probably have a good— _excuse_ as to why they couldn't make it. You are probably wondering by now why I summoned you all here tonight.” The Dark Lord paused to look around the room.

“We have a new _member_ in our midst. He came here today, and _volunteered_ _to help._ Isn't that nice of him?” The Dark Lord laughed coldly. “We had a chat, the two of us, and I must say I was very surprised to hear what he had to say. And even more surprised to find that he really meant everything he said. I wanted you to hear it directly from the source himself, to see how he willingly gives himself away to follow _me_.”

The Dark Lord went quiet and turned around to look at the door behind him. When it opened there was a loud intake of breath; Bellatrix, next to the Dark Lord, hissed and Draco's heart dropped to the ground.

This couldn't be, no. This didn't make sense; was this a dream? A nightmare? He felt tears burning in his eyes and blinked them away. What was left of the little hope he had was gone, vanishing with every step the raven-haired boy took into the room.

Potter held his head high, throwing a death glare at Bellatrix, as he stepped next to the Dark Lord. His usual easily readable face was a mask of stone, hard and cold. He didn't even flinch as the Dark Lord reached out and placed a hand on his arm.

“Please, dear boy… tell them what you told me,” the Dark Lord said quietly.

“I'm here,” Potter started with a sure voice, “because Dumbledore wants me dead. He has wanted me dead since he abandoned me at my relative’s doorstep.”

Draco could swear the room was getting colder by the minute. The pure fury of Potter's words shut even Bellatrix down; his eyes were glinting with something Draco hadn't seen there before, and he didn't like what he saw now.

“I was raised like a pig for slaughter and I won't play his games anymore. Now that he's dead others will come to take his place, others who only want to use me for my name. And I'm _here_ because I won't let that happen anymore. I watched my friends and family die for Dumbledore’s cause, for his lies and sweet words, without ever knowing the truth. Without anyone telling me what was happening! But I know what’s happening here. I know you will stop them, will make them pay for the things they’ve done. And I will help you. With me on your side the Ministry will fall! With me on your side they have no hope left. They'll have no other choice but to follow us.”

Potter looked at all of them before turning to the Dark Lord. Dropping to his knees, he lowered his head and waited.

“What do you think, dear friends? Should we allow Harry to join us? He won't be much help right now because we have to wait for the right moment to tell the world he's ours. If we do it now, we'll have to face an open revolution and I'm not keen to spill good blood. But when our time comes we can take our little trained pet and show him to the world. Any opinions?” His red eyes moved across the room until they stopped on Severus. “Severus, my loyal friend, what do you think?”

“My Lord, I'm honoured,” Severus drawled. “Can we be absolutely sure the boy is telling the truth? If he is, I'll gladly take him on—”

“Ah Severus, happy to serve, as always. But no, I have other plans for him. Yes, we can be sure he's telling the truth, otherwise he'd be dead by now. I'll take his training into my own hands, we want him to be ready when the time comes. The last time you were supposed to teach that boy something essential it didn't go too well, did it? Though I have to thank you for that, or we wouldn't know if he's speaking the truth. Anyone else?”

The Dark Lord waited for a few seconds but nobody dared to say a word. Suddenly his eyes swept to Draco and a deadly grin spread over his face. “Draco, you two are the same age. I'm sure you won't mind if Harry stays in your rooms while I'm busy, would you? You two could become friends; maybe you'll even learn something from him. This could really help you.”

Draco swallowed around the lump in his throat, “I'd be honoured, my Lord.” He still couldn't believe what was happening, still hoped to wake up any minute now.

“Good boy.” Looking back at Potter, who still kneeled in front of him, the Dark Lord pulled out his wand. “Look at me, Harry. Give me your arm, now. If you want to belong here, you have to carry my Mark with pride. Do you understand me?”

“Yes, my Lord,” Potter said steadily.

The grin on the Dark Lord's face nearly made Draco throw up. He watched as his pale hand grasped Potter's arm, his other hand pressing his wand hard into Potter's flesh.

Potter didn't flinch, didn't move, as the Dark Lord marked him as his own, as one of them, and Draco couldn't stand to watch anymore. All hope this war would end was lost, gone like smoke in the wind. They'd have to suffer through this tyranny for the rest of their lives, and he didn't know how he would survive it.

A few moments later it was over. The only thing giving away that something had even happened was the pitch black Dark Mark on Potter's arm, and Potter's breath coming harder than a few minutes ago.

“Welcome to our circle, Harry Potter. Your lessons will begin in the morning.”

“Thank you, my Lord.”

After that the room slowly emptied. Potter stayed on his knees even after the Dark Lord vanished behind his doors again. Once nearly everyone was gone Draco’s mother nudged him and nodded towards Potter. He didn't like it, but he knew she was right. If he didn't go grab Potter to take him to his rooms he would pay for it.

Slowly he got up and moved through the lingering Death Eaters until he reached Potter.

“Get up. I'll show you to my rooms.” What was the fool thinking by coming here? “Potter. Now.”

Potter looked up at him and Draco nearly jumped backwards. He was grinning. Potter sat on the ground, his arm Marked and bleeding, and he was grinning at Draco.

“I can't wait to see them. I need a bath, and something to eat,” Potter said quietly, only for him to hear.

Draco stepped back, at a loss for words, and waited for Potter to get up and follow him.

When they reached his rooms Draco closed the door behind them and called for his elf to bring Potter something to eat before showing him around.

At least Potter had the decency to look slightly impressed as Draco guided him from the sitting room to the guest room and then to the enclosed bathroom and back again. “We'll have to share the bathroom. This is my door, if you need anything just knock or call for my elf, I'll make sure she listens to you as well.”

“I might need something to wear, I packed only a few necessary things and left the rest behind. I knew you'd be here and thought you might help me out a bit,” Potter said with a smile.

“Okay listen, Potter. I have no idea what you're playing at. If this is a trick of some kind I don't want to be involved with any of it, because I'm barely making it as is. You can have clothes—hell you can even have my bedroom if you insist on it—but leave me out of your games!”

“It's not a trick, Draco. I told the truth down there. And I'm sorry to hear you're barely getting by, but it'll be better soon—I promise. Your guest room is enough for me, it's nearly as big as the Muggle house I lived in before. You look tired so I'll let you rest, good night.”

With that Potter turned around and left him standing slack-jawed in the middle of his sitting room. He didn't know if he should be angry with Potter, or scared. Not only had he called him _Draco_ but his general appearance was somehow off. He was too cold, too calm for what had happened here, for being in the center of a silently raging war.

Turning around, he headed into his room. He needed time to think this over, to see if he could find some sense in all of this. But to do that he needed to stop wasting away.

Taking the food from his nightstand, he sat at his desk and started to eat, chewing angrily without even realising what it was. It didn't matter. Not anymore. He only stopped when his plate was empty and he felt like getting sick.

He called for his elf, Chip, and ordered her to take Potter some of his clothes, and to listen to him if he asked for anything, and also to check if he was out of the bathroom so that Draco could take a shower.

Later that night, Draco lay on his bed and replayed everything all over. His head hurt and he couldn't stop trying to figure out why Potter was here. He didn't like this cool, composed version of him—not that he had liked the old Potter much either. But something about this, something about _him_ made Draco squirm.

Tomorrow he'd have to go downstairs for breakfast, he needed to keep his eyes on Potter if he had any hope of figuring out what he had planned. And this required him to leave his rooms for once. He didn't particularly like the idea, but if he wanted to get out of here alive he needed to know how much the game had changed.

Huffing, annoyed, he closed his eyes and fell into a restless sleep.

* * *

 

It had been a month since Potter arrived at the Manor. Ever since, Draco's days had been the same monotonous rhythm.

He'd get up early and go downstairs for breakfast to try and find out what Potter was planning for that day, before fleeing back to his rooms again and hiding there until the next day—that is, if the dark Lord didn't _wish for his company_ anywhere else.

He wasn't supposed to do much, thank Salazar, because he was pretty useless in any given situation. The only thing he had to do regularly was go to Knockturn Alley to pick up random objects or secret messages for _his side,_ and he'd be lying if he said he didn't enjoy his short escapes from the Manor.

Even if the Malfoy name wasn't worth much anymore, people still didn't dare to look at him directly. It was the only time he could hold his head high without fear, knowing that people were afraid of what could happen to them if they made a wrong move towards him.

But that never held long. As soon as he was back in the Manor all of his confidence was gone. The screams were back, the lingering traces of dark magic, the suffocating fear that someone would find him in the halls without anyone around to help him. Back at the Manor he was small and unworthy again, the weakest link, not able to do anything a house elf couldn't also do.

Every night Potter would come back to their rooms and they'd share a silent dinner in the sitting room before parting for the night. Draco didn't know what the Dark Lord was teaching Potter in their lessons. Sometimes Potter would come back and it would seem as if he was very far away. Other days he would be vibrating with energy but would still say nothing, as always. Draco was used to his silence by now.

He had never seen Potter like this. The days of the small boy in baggy clothes were gone. Now he found himself eating with a man who wore Draco's clothes like a second skin, dark and powerful, carrying the Mark on his arm like a trophy, training to be the new weapon for the Dark Lord.

On days he got to escape the Manor, Draco noticed that there was nothing about Potter in the newspapers, at least not indicating that he had joined the Dark Lord. It was only the occasional question of where _The Boy Who Lived_ was, and what he was doing. Shortly after Potter arrived Draco had discovered _Potter Watch_ on the wireless. It wasn't until later that he understood the messages between the lines—they were just as helpless and lost as he was. They didn't know where Potter was, Granger and Weasley had also gone missing the same night that Potter arrived at the Manor, and everything seemed fucked.

But nobody besides him had any idea how fucked everything truly was. They could only suspect things that Draco knew for sure.

It was the worst on nights like this. Draco hated the loud voices coming from downstairs, hated how there were Death Eaters drunkenly destroying his house while celebrating a successful mission. The voices were getting louder by the minute and he knew it wouldn't be long before they found someone to torture; only minutes until the screaming would start again.

Pulling the pillow over his head, he tried to block out the noises. Cursing, not for the first time, that the Dark Lord had forbidden silencing charms around the Manor. He usually still managed to fall asleep, the noises around him following him into his dreams, turning them into nightmares.

A loud crash from his sitting room woke Draco with a start. He heard voices—slurred, drunk, dangerous—and hastily fumbled for his wand on his nightstand. But he was too late.

His bedroom door flew open and people stepped into the darkness. The stench of dirt and alcohol they gave off made him feel sick, and his pulse quickened. _Too late, too slow. They were going to hurt him._

“Draaaa'ooo,” came a slurred voice. “Wake up, we wanna play with youuu.”

A _Lumos_ was cast and Draco was horrified to realise that it was Greyback and two others of his pack; blood was dripping from their chins and their eyes were black and dead.

He wanted to run, to hide somewhere, but his body was frozen with fear. He couldn't move, his breath was coming hard and his pulse drummed in his ears loud enough to deafen him. There was nothing he could do. All the while, Greyback crept closer and closer to his bed, murmuring words Draco couldn't make out anymore.

Suddenly there was a light coming from his left and Greyback and his pack stopped dead in their tracks, looking for the source of it. But Draco still couldn't move, not even to look at what was happening over there, at what made them stop.

Curse lights flashed through his room, hitting the intruders and making them flee with pained faces, door crashing closed behind them.

It wasn't until someone touched his head that Draco realised he wasn't alone. A face appeared in front of him and Draco recognised it as Potter's, eyes worried and mouth pressed into a thin line.

And just like that, everything around him went dark.

When he came back to consciousness his room was brightly lit; his windows had been opened and fresh, cool air streamed into his room. He moved to look around and something cold dropped from his forehead. Draco nearly jumped before he realised what it was, someone had placed a cool flannel there while he was out.

“Draco?”

That voice made memories come crashing back in again and Draco's breath hitched. He couldn't do this anymore, he didn't want to be here, didn't want to—

“Draco, it's alright. They're gone and they won't be coming back.”

Potter's voice managed to get to him through his panic, guiding him, helping him to concentrate on anything other than his thoughts.

“I promise they won't come back here, or even near you, as it is. They'll suffer horrible pain if they even think about trying something like that again. I made sure of that. Try and sit up a bit, drink some water.”

A cold glass was pressed into his shaking hand and Draco managed to sit up just enough to take a sip of it.

“Good. You're doing great. I have a Calming Draught for you if you want to take it.”

Closing his eyes, Draco only nodded. Potter uncorked the vial with a pop before guiding it to his lips, where Draco gratefully swallowed the contents. He didn't care if it really was Calming Draught, he'd happily swallow poison right now, he didn't care.

It didn't take long before he felt the effects settling in. Everything seemed to slow down, even as he couldn't stop shaking. But this was already better than what he had hoped for.

“Thank you, Potter. They'd have—they'd—” he broke off, not able to speak out loud what would have happened to him if Potter hadn't been there. Another shaking fit hit him and he rolled to his side to curl himself into a ball.

“They'll never try something like that again. You're safe now,” Potter said quietly.

“I'm never safe. It was only luck you were here and heard them. Next time you won't. It's not only them, it's all of them, Potter. And you can't—”

“I can do anything I want to. Pretty sure you've realised that by now. And I meant what I said the first night. Things will get better for you, Draco.”

Potter's voice had turned cold and Draco looked up to see his face for the first time. Potter's expression wasn't the cold mask from last month, or even from their dinner, anymore. His eyes burned with anger as he watched the door, hot fury radiating off of him in waves that made Draco shudder again.

“I'm changing how things are going here. They won't touch you again. I've seen what they've done to you, I've seen your pain while they laughed and shot curses at you. The Dark Lord has taught me things, things people wouldn't even dare to dream of, stupid as he is.”

“You can't say stuff like that here! He'll hear you!” Draco whispered furiously.

“There's a silencing charm over your rooms now. Nobody would dare tell me I can't do that. Not even the Dark Lord can hear us, no matter how hard he tries,” Potter said, sounding far away again.

“You're just as insane as him.” The words had slipped out before Draco could hold them back, but Potter only laughed.

“No, I'm worse. Because I wouldn't train the only thing that can kill me to be an even more dangerous weapon. That's what I call stupid, Draco. You also wouldn't do that. So why does he? Because he thinks he's powerful enough to make the world his. But he never was, and never will be.”

“And you are, or what?” Draco huffed. Potter was clearly insane.

“I can be. You see, Draco,” Potter sighed, “seeing so many people I loved die changed a few things for me. Then learning what Dumbledore had planned for me was the final straw. I wasn’t born to die, even if that was the plan of many people. I won't let it happen, same as I won't let anyone else hurt you.”

“Why?” Draco didn't know what else to say. He was more than confused about all of this.

“What? Why won’t I die? Or why won’t I let anything happen to you? Both of those things wouldn't help anyone at all.”

“I can't help you with anything. Why do you want to keep me safe?”

“Because you deserve to be safe after everything that has happened to you. And you _can_ help me, don't believe what they say about you.”

Draco wasn't sure if he had really heard correctly. Potter surely was crazy. They had spent _years_ fighting each other… and now this.

He wasn't sure what to say, but Potter didn't even wait for an answer.

“I'm going to bed now. Tomorrow you'll come with me, I have to ask the Dark Lord for a favour and it'll be best to have you there with me. Do you need anything before I leave?”

Draco thought for a second and his eyes swept back towards the door where Greyback and his pack had vanished earlier. “Would you mind keeping the doors to the bathroom open on both sides? So that you hear if they come back?” He knew how pathetic he sounded, but he couldn't help but fear them coming back. After everything that had already happened he didn't know how much more he could take.

“Of course.” Pointing his wand towards the windows, Potter spelled them closed before leaving the room and going to bed.

Draco shuddered as he thought back to what could have happened if Potter wasn't there. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and tried to not think about tomorrow. He had no idea what favour Potter had to ask of the Dark Lord, or why _he_ had to be there for it, but that didn't matter, not now. Now, he only wanted to sleep.

It was the first time in weeks, maybe months, that Draco had slept through an entire night without being awoken by nightmares. It took him a few minutes after waking up before he even remembered what had happened last night.

Sitting up, he looked around his bedroom and found that the door to the bathroom was still open. And it took him another minute before he realised that Potter was currently in there, brushing his teeth, with his shirt unbuttoned and hair still a mess from his shower. Like this he looked more like the Potter Draco remembered from Hogwarts and something in his chest stung as he realised that he had missed this version of him.

Potter looked up and found Draco watching him. Smiling, he spit out the toothpaste and rinsed his mouth before coming over.

“Good morning. You already look better.”

“And you look like a wet dog.”

Potter had the nerve to laugh. It wasn't the usual cold or distant laugh, but rather an honest, full one that made Draco grin back at him and nearly made him forget where they were.

“Now that you're awake you should get dressed. I must see him before we eat breakfast, it can't wait. After that you can decide if you want to eat downstairs or if you want to come back and eat here. I know it's a lot to ask of you but it has to be done.”

“It's not like you're actually asking me to do anything. You’re telling me to do it, that's different,” Draco stated moodily. He wasn't keen to see the Dark Lord so early in the morning—really he wasn't keen to see him at all if he had to be honest. But at least Potter would be there, with Draco merely being the new pet that’d be mostly ignored. “Do something about your hair. I'll get dressed.”

Draco climbed out of bed and looked into his wardrobe, fishing the first pair of matching clothes out and then heading to the bathroom. Taking one last glance at Potter, who stood in front of Draco's mirror attempting to tame his hair, he closed the door and undressed for a quick shower.

After he was finished he walked out, fully dressed and feeling refreshed. Potter was already waiting at the door for him, looking like the proper little pet again.

“Ready?” Potter asked.

“No. But that won't prevent whatever you've got planned so let's get this over with.”

Potter flashed him a half smile before he straightened his back and led Draco out of their rooms. It wasn't long before all traces of Potter from last night were gone, leaving only the cold blank mask he carried every day.

Coming to a halt in front of one of the biggest spare rooms the Manor had, Potter knocked at the door and stepped in without waiting for an answer. Draco hesitated for a second before following Potter into the dark room. He did his best to stay behind Potter's back, half to hide from whatever waited here for them, half to avoid having to see it.

“Harry, you're early today. Way too early. I think I made it clear that I don't want to be disturbed—”

Draco nearly threw up as the Dark Lord's voice came from the shadows in front of them but Potter had no such problems. In fact, he didn't even wait for the Dark Lord to finish speaking before he interrupted him.

“My Lord, I'm sorry I'm here so early but there is an important matter we have to discuss before today's lesson and it can't wait until our normal time.”

A hiss from the shadow made Draco jump, but Potter held his place, unmoving, seemingly unimpressed with the danger in front of them.

“I feel your anger. Speak. What is it you need?”

“Our rooms were invaded last night. Greyback and his pack entered them to attack Draco, and when I entered, they attacked me as well. I took care of them, like you taught me. But if something like that happens again, I'll kill whoever it is.”

“That is indeed a problem that couldn’t wait. Why did you bring Draco with you?”

“Because I want you to know how serious I am about this. Nobody will touch him again, as you promised when I joined. He can learn from me, but I can't teach him how to be of use if he's dead,” Potter hissed angrily.

At that the Dark Lord laughed cruelly and Draco felt the urge to run, but something held him back.

“You really think he can be of use to us? That one? Look at him. He's a pathetic coward just like his father; Draco will never be good for anything other than doing the chores I don't even give to those lazy elves, because they are more helpful just standing in my way than whatever he can do for us.”

Every word he spoke was like a stab with a glowing dagger. Draco felt the air around him began to waver and his breath was coming in small puffs, but he couldn't help it. This was a death sentence—Potter had dragged him here and now he would be killed.

But Potter seemingly didn't realise that. Stepping closer to the shadows, he seemed to grow in size as he unleashed his fury. His magic made the air around them flicker and go hot and Draco felt the hair on his arms standing up from the electricity. He had never seen Potter act this way, and now he knew what he had meant last night—why would someone train him to become even more powerful than he already was?

“Draco is, and will be of use for us. He's _mine_ and I don't want anyone to touch him. Is that clear?”

“Mind your tongue, boy. You’ve surprised me again. If you think you have a use for him, you can have him. Take him as your little pet, I couldn't care less. Do whatever you want with him. And if you get tired of being his babysitter, kill him. Spare us the trouble of finding a new way to keep him busy.”

“That won't be necessary. Thank you, my Lord.”

Draco didn't know what had just happened. He only wanted to get out of here. But Potter still didn't move. Instead, he grabbed Draco by the arm and pushed him roughly in front of him, hard enough to make Draco stumble and fall to his knees.

“Prove it. Prove that he's mine.”

The white face of the Dark Lord emerged from the shadows, eyes nearly glowing blood red as he looked down at Draco with a horrible, face-splitting grin.

“If you wish for that, Harry. Of course.”

A wand emerged from the shadows and Draco’s whole body began to burn with such intensity that he couldn't stop a scream from escaping his mouth. As quick as it had started, it was over. His whole body felt sore and there was a lightness to his mind that he couldn't explain. When the Dark Lord's face vanished back into the shadows, Potter pulled him up and led him out the door.

Once back in their rooms he guided Draco towards the sofa and pushed a glass of water into his shaking hand.

“How are you?” Potter asked him, concerned.

“You nearly got me killed! What was that all about?”

“I see you're obviously well enough if you can scream at me,” Potter huffed. “Drink your water, I'll call for breakfast, we'll eat here. There was no need to hurt you like he did.”

When breakfast arrived Potter sat down opposite of him and started to eat, throwing looks at Draco every other minute. After some time Draco couldn't take it anymore, Potter was being even more annoying than usual.

“Care to explain what happened down there? My head still feels strange.”

“You really don't know?”

“Correct, Potter! I really don't know! The only thing I know is that I nearly died just now and my whole body hurts just because you wanted to make a useless point!”

“Useless?” Potter asked, amused. “Well, if you truly think that what I just did was useless then I really do need to explain it to you. Nobody in this house will ever harm you again, not even the Dark Lord. I just made sure of that. You're not his anymore, you're mine.”

“Yours?” Draco asked, annoyed. “Isn't it bad enough I had to serve one of you? Will you mark me as well or—?”

“Oh, no, I don't have to do that. And you don't have to serve him or anyone else anymore. I told you things would be better for you soon.”

Draco wasn't sure if Potter was joking or simply plain stupid. Even if the Dark Lord had told Potter otherwise, as long as he was alive he had to serve him. He had vowed that when he took the Mark.

“Potter, I don't want to burst your tiny little dream world into pieces, but I'm Marked as his as long as he, or I, am alive. There is nothing that'll change that.” His heart hurt as he said these words but if Potter really believed what the Dark Lord had said it was best to tell him the truth—and that was that nobody could save him.

“Look at your arm.”

“Potter—”

“I said look at your arm, Draco. And it's about time you start calling me Harry.”

Draco didn't dare move, he could hear his pulse drumming in his ears, making him deaf to everything around him. Pulling himself together, he rolled up his sleeve quick enough to make the small button pop away, but he didn't care. As soon as he spotted his arm, blank and clear from the Dark Mark, he started to sob. This couldn't be real. His emotions overwhelmed him and he broke down crying right in front of Potter.

He hadn't believed it. It had seemed impossible. But his arm was the proof, he was free again. Free from the Dark Lord. No matter what Harry was planning to do in the future, Draco was his from this moment on.

* * *

 

Draco nearly vibrated with excitement. It was the first morning of Hogwarts’ winter break and thanks to Harry he was able to meet up with his friends for the first time in months.

They had plans to visit Diagon Alley— even if it wasn’t the safest place nowadays, it was still the easiest to go for some last minute Christmas shopping. That, and to get something to eat without fear of being poisoned thanks to Pansy's mother owning one of the more successful pubs there.

“Sure you don't need me to come with you?” Harry asked while frowning over the edge of his book.

“I don't need a babysitter to go Christmas shopping with my friends. And do I need to remind you that I visited Diagon Alley _and_ Knockturn Alley at least once every two weeks not so long ago without anything ever happening to me?”

“Fine. Don't forget to fetch the books I ordered.”

Draco sighed, he was annoyed, but couldn't really hide his grin as he left their rooms through the Floo to meet with the others at the Leaky Cauldron.

When he stepped out of the Floo, the first thing he saw were his friends waiting for him in the otherwise nearly empty pub and Draco nearly jumped at them in his excitement, but managed to hold himself back as he walked towards them.

“You're really here!” Pansy said, surprise clear in her voice.

“Told you he'd come,” grunted Vince before smiling and nudging Draco with his shoulder.

“So what's the plan?” he asked after taking a look around.

“First, food. I'm starving and mother is waiting for us. We can discuss the rest later.”

Draco nodded and held his arm out for Pansy to take before leading them through the brick wall and towards the Golden Bond. Even if they were mostly safe here it was still best to not discuss anything that could be even slightly interesting to anyone who might hear them.

After taking a seat in their private room, Greg stared at Draco, surely waiting for an explanation for his sudden absence and unanswered letters.

“Stop staring at me like that! You know why I couldn't come to Hogwarts, or answer any communications!”

“Then how is it you're here now? How is it possible for you to meet us here when you can't even answer owls?”

Draco heard the hurt in Greg’s voice and all his excitement vanished at once. How could he possibly explain what had changed without giving away secret information? Without giving away that he knew where Harry was and what had happened at the Manor?

“He's right, Draco,” Blaise said. “You should have found a way to let us know what was happening. We were worried sick.”

“I'm sorry. I truly am. There are things I—”

“We know you can't tell us everything. But you could have at least found a way to let us know you were still alive! We weren't sure what to expect when we saw your owl waiting for us on the dinner table, and nobody wanted to open that letter in case it was—and now you're here, and you look better than you have in years. It's just hard for us to understand, you know?” Blaise said quietly.

Draco wasn't sure what to tell them, what to say that could make their pain go away. He had last seen them when their sixth year ended, which wasn't that long ago. But it still felt like a lifetime had passed by unnoticed.

“I can only say that I'm sorry. And promise that it won't happen again. Things are better now, different. I have hope again, hope I believed had been lost forever only a few months ago,” Draco tried.

“We all could use some kind of hope,” Pansy said. “Do you know what they are making us do at Hogwarts? How things work with the Carrows?”

Draco shuddered, just the thought of them made him shudder. “I can only imagine, but I'm not sure I want to do so.”

“I wish we could do something,” Vince said, staring angrily at the table. “This is something our parents might think is best for this world, but it isn't. It's wrong.”

“Potter's friends _do things_. They don't trust _us_ to help, though. I don't blame them,” Greg said.

“Yes they do. But they aren't us. And nobody knows where the Golden Boy is, not even them. And the other two are lost as well; I overheard the Girl-Weasley speaking to Longbottom. There's nothing left—” Pansy said, but Draco couldn't listen any longer.

Seeing them like this was something he had never wanted to happen, he had always hoped to keep them out of this.

“Potter is alive.” He wasn't even sorry for blurting this out.

“How do you—?”

“He's at the Manor. Came there on his own. He helps me, a lot. He freed me from the Dark Lord and has promised me things will be better, and they are.”

“He—?” Blaise started with huge eyes, but trailed off as he seemed incapable of finishing the sentence.

“What do you mean with he ‘freed you’?” asked Pansy.

Draco didn't answer, instead he unbuttoned his sleeve and pulled it up to show them his arm.

There was a collective gasp from his friends and Greg grabbed his arm as if to check if it was real.

“How? How is that possible?” Blaise asked, shocked.

“I was attacked by Greyback. They came into my bedroom at night. But Harry heard them and flung curses at them until they left. The morning after that he dragged me to the Dark Lord and demanded he free me. And he did.”

“Harry?”

“Demanded?”

“How is it possible for him to demand things from the Dark Lord?”

“He's training him. Har—I mean, Potter, is his new little pet project. He thinks he's forming a weapon to take over the Ministry, and with it, control over everything. But his plan won't work out. The first few weeks were hell, I'd lost all hope that things might change after Potter turned up on our doorstep. But then that day happened and there was a weight lifted from my shoulders—I didn't even realise it came from the Mark on my arm. It makes people crazy, and they don't know it, they _can't_ know it. He told the Dark Lord he'd take care of me now and that they weren't allowed to bother me anymore. And the Dark Lord listened to him.”

“And what exactly does that mean? For you, us, the rest of the magical world?” Pansy asked quietly.

“It means that there is hope, and that we'll get to fight back. If we can stick around long enough without going insane, that is.”

“What can we do? I want to help!” Greg said without hesitation. “I can't take my father's blood purity erumpentshit anymore. I can't believe I was proud of that only two years ago. I don't want to torture second years anymore!”

“I'll ask Potter. But I think keeping your ears open will help. Try to gather information, find people to follow _him_ instead of the Dark Lord. I saw what only one month in training did to him. I have no idea what they are doing, but—it's hard to explain. With every passing day his power grows, and with it his will to end this. He was able hide his true motives from the Dark Lord, something I haven't heard of before; it shouldn't even be possible. But there he is, taking the Dark Mark with a smile on his lips.”

“Wait, Potter took the Dark Mark? Draco! How do you know he's not going insane like the rest of them?” Pansy asked, shocked.

“I—just know. Harry isn't like them. He's the only hope we have left and I refuse to give that up. I owe him my life.”

“We'll see how this ends. We're going to help you as much as we can without risking our lives. That's the job for those stupid Gryffindors that you seem to be so fond of lately.” Blaise said with a small grin, while Greg and Vince nodded next to him, looking equally amused.

Draco only glowered at them and decided to drop the topic completely. At least for now. There was time enough for that... later.

The fact that they'd _have_ a later was enough to make him smile as he watched his friends banter over the menu before they finally ordered their food.

After several hours of roaming the stores that were left, Draco said goodbye to his friends and Floo’d back to their rooms, surprised to see Harry was already waiting for him.

"How was your day?" he asked, while helping Draco with his shopping bags.

"Surprisingly easy. They forgave me for not answering their letters and Diagon Alley has enough stores left to get the necessary things."

"They'll all reopen as soon as this is over. Any troubles? Anyone trying to go after you and your friends?"

Draco looked up to find Harry standing close to him, an honest, worried look on his face that made his heart clench.

"No. I told you I don't need a babysitter, Harry. We were fine. My reputation might not be the best anymore, but there's still enough left to encourage people to leave me alone. I'm not helpless, you know?"

"Yes, I know that. I just can't help but to worry. Have you brought my books?"

Draco huffed as he sat down on the sofa and searched for the bag with Harry's books in them, remembering the confused look as he handed the order to the shop owner. Only later, when Pansy took a look at the order and burst out laughing, did he realise under what name Harry had ordered them.

"Was it really necessary to say they were for Mr. and Mrs. Draco Malfoy? As if my life isn't complicated enough already!"

Harry had the nerve to laugh as he took the bag and pulled out the books. "I thought it was funny, how else were you supposed to explain the different handwriting? They know you there; I just wanted to make it easier for you."

"By telling them I'm married? Great plan, Potter—that's _so_ much easier to explain than a different handwriting."

"Don't be like that," Harry grinned mischievously. "I don't have much fun around here. ‘Pottering’ me won't help you here."

Draco huffed again before kicking Harry in the shin and calling for Chip to wash his new clothes. He couldn't really be mad, Harry was right after all. He had been locked up in this house since he had arrived, with no chance to go anywhere.

Suddenly an idea struck him, "Do you know who's in the Manor at the moment?"

"Only your parents and Bellatrix, why?"

Jumping up, he sprinted into his bedroom and grabbed a second cloak from his wardrobe. Going back to Harry, he threw it at him. "Follow me, I have an idea."

Dragging Harry through the Manor, he didn't stop until he pushed the doors open and stepped onto the grounds. He waited long enough for Harry to take a deep breath before he marched them through the snow and towards the shed at the far end.

He grinned as he opened the doors and pushed a Nimbus 2001 into Harry’s hands before pulling another one out.

"Fancy a seekers match?" Draco asked innocently before jumping on his broom without waiting for an answer.

He had always loved to fly around the Manor, the grounds were a work of art even while covered in snow and ice.

Only seconds later, Harry was by his side and Draco was happy to see a smile on his face.

"Do you have a snitch or shall we use the one I have with me?" Harry asked as he came to a halt.

"Why do you carry a snitch around?" Draco asked, baffled.

"It was a gift."

"We'll use mine, I don't trust your _gift_ to be impartial."

Pointing his wand at the shed on the ground, Draco waited for the snitch to fly towards them before taking off. Moments later they were both racing after it over the snowy grounds of his home.

Draco had no idea how long they had been chasing the snitch, but night had fallen about an hour ago and the only source of light was the nearly-full moon. They had charmed the snitch to glow so they could find it in the darkness but neither of them wanted to call an end to their game.

It was like being back at Hogwarts, but better. Because here nobody was watching them, nobody would ask questions, nobody cared if they spent more time laughing and chasing each other than looking for the snitch and winning the game for their houses. Here it was only them and the darkness surrounding them.

Draco hovered in the air, a huge grin on his face, while watching Harry come racing towards him, moving out of his path seconds before they'd crash. Hearing Harry's laugh behind him made him grin even wider and he turned his broom to chase after Harry.

Suddenly, there was movement at the front gate and they both came to a halt next to each other, trying to make out who it was. It looked like a group of people, strutting towards the main entrance of the Manor.

"I'll check who it is. Get the snitch, it'll give us away," Harry whispered.

Watching him go, Draco pulled out his wand and summoned the snitch to land in his hand before slowly following after Harry.

When they were close enough to hear the voices on the ground Draco shuddered and looked at Harry. His body was tense as he watched the figures below move up the path.

"We should do something before they arrive," Draco whispered, and Harry nodded.

Hovering closer, they watched as Greyback pulled Granger roughly towards the Manor by her hair while another member of his Pack dragged Weasley with him.

Harry took one last look at Draco before pointing his broom towards the ground, landing right in front of the group of people, blocking their way. Deciding not to stay hidden and useless as usual, Draco joined him, even if he had no idea what he could do to help.

"You're in my way," Greyback growled at them, but stopped nevertheless.

"It seems, as always, that you don't know _who_ is in the way here, Greyback," Potter said, his voice dangerously low.

"You managed to save your little boy here, Potter, but you won't get your hands on these two," Greyback said, pulling on Granger's hair, making her scream in pain. "They are mine, and this Mudblood here will make a great toy for my pack as soon as the Dark Lord is done with her."

"Again, you're wrong."

It happened too fast for Draco to see who started it. Flashes of light rushed through the air and Harry grinned as Greyback and his helpers backed away, letting go of Granger and Weasley in the process.

Jumping forward, Draco pulled them behind him and cast a strong shield around them as he watched Harry's curses get more aggressive, following faster after each other, until his opponents fell to the ground, unmoving.

"Is that Harry?" Draco heard Granger's broken whisper behind him. "Why is he here?"

Forcing his eyes away from Harry, Draco turned around and looked at Granger and Weasley. They both were in terrible shape: dirty and clearly visibly hurt. But at least they were alive. Frowning at the deep cut on Weasley's cheek, Draco pointed his wand at him and ignored his effort to back away from him before casting a healing charm on the cut.

"Anything else that needs to be fixed?" Draco sighed before adding, "Yes, I know you have questions, but I can't answer them. But I _can_ fix you up while we wait for Harry. So?"

"Hermione has a broken arm, they caught us unaware," Weasley mumbled with a guilty look towards Granger.

"Arm." Draco held out his hand, waiting for Granger to show him her arm.

Cutting open the sleeve, he carefully pressed his wand on her wrist and cast the necessary spells to mend the bone and stop the swelling. Fixing the sleeve with another spell, he let go of her and turned back to see what Harry was doing.

Harry was kneeling next to Greyback so Draco stepped closer. "What are you doing with them?"

"Altering their memories. They won't even remember they came here."

"Won't the Dark Lord see someone did that to them?" he asked carefully.

"Yes. But it'll look like they got hit with an Imperius by someone else and shook it off after entering here. Are Ron and Hermione alright?"

"Yes, I stitched them back together, they'll be fine."

"Good, tell them I'll be there in a second."

Walking back to Granger and Weasley, he tucked his wand away and quietly stood next to them, waiting for Harry to join them.

After he was done with the wolves he cast a body bind over them and quickly dragged them deeper into the shadows of the trees nearby.

"Harry—"

"Yes, I'm here, alive and healthy. Hermione, we only have a few moments before they wake up: yes I'm sorry I left, no I couldn't have warned you, and no I don't want to hear it. I'm glad you're both alive but this is not the place to be. Have you done what Dumbledore told me to do?"

Granger only stared at him so Weasley answered instead, realising how serious the situation was. "Yes, we have only two left, and him."

"What are those two?"

"Helga Hufflepuff's cup in the Black vault and the snake."

"Draco, do you have access to your aunt’s vault at Gringotts?" Harry asked him.

"Yes. It's not just hers, every member of the Black family has access."

"Good. I need you to do a thing for me. I'll tell you about it later." Looking back at Weasley Harry sighed, "Do you two have a place to go? Your part is complete, it would be best if you go into hiding until it's over."

"Bill and Fleur. We could go to them."

"Good, do that. Now leave before they wake up. It'll be over soon."

"No! I want to know what’s happening, why are you here?" Suddenly Granger found her voice again and Draco backed away from her. The furious look on her face reminded him too much of the time she had punched him straight on the nose.

"Hermione, there's no time for this now. It's just important that nobody knows where I am. Do you think you can keep this a secret or do I need to change a few memories of yours as well?"

"You wouldn't dare to—" Granger started, but Potter stopped her with a cold look that instantly silenced her.

"I would. And I _will_ if you don't leave now. Listen, I said I'm sorry, and I'll explain everything, but not now. So please go and hide and keep out of trouble no matter what happens."

Draco watched as Weasley dragged Granger towards the gate without another word. He could swear he had seen tears in her eyes when she turned away from them but he couldn't think of anything to say, so he stayed silent.

When they were gone, Harry pointed his wand at Greyback and his helper and they both promptly started to stir awake. Draco and Harry were high into the air before the two men on the ground fully woke up.

* * *

 

Back in their rooms, Draco quickly put away their coats and sat down on his sofa where dinner was already waiting for them. He would pretend nothing ever happened, and as long as nobody decided to look deeper into it that should be enough. But Harry didn't look as relaxed anymore.

With a massive groan, he sat down next to Draco and buried his face in his hands.

"They won't find out it was you, will they?" Draco asked, afraid he hadn't guessed their situation correctly.

"No. But Ron and Hermione weren't supposed to know where I was. At least not now, not yet. I'm not ready."

"What do you mean 'not ready'? What is it you have to be ready for?"

Harry looked at him and Draco recognised, horrified, that Harry was afraid. He wasn't sure he wanted to hear the answer to his question anymore.

"Let's eat. After that I have to tell you something, but it will have to wait until I come back from handling the Greyback situation downstairs. I'm pretty sure he'll call for me soon."

They were halfway through their dinner when Harry winced and grabbed his arm in pain. It was the first time Draco really realised how much he had to suffer, how much he had done to keep him safe and away from this, to end this for everyone.

Looking at Harry's pained expression as he stood up to answer the call, he felt a lump form in his throat that he was sure wouldn't go away anytime soon.

"Why are you doing this to yourself?" Draco croaked out before he knew what he was saying. "You could just go, hide somewhere like you ordered your friends to do. Nothing is holding you here! Please, Harry, just get away from here."

Harry turned around, a sad smile on his face as he looked at Draco. "I can't leave, Draco. And you're wrong, I do have something that’s holding me here."

Without waiting for a response, Harry left their rooms and closed the door behind him.

It was past midnight when he returned. Harry's face was grey and there were deep, dark shadows under his eyes, but nevertheless he smiled when he spotted Draco on the sofa.

"What happened?" Draco asked, shocked, jumping up to rush towards him.

"I had to break into half a dozen minds and the Dark Lord taught me a few new spells," Harry said quietly as Draco helped him to walk the rest of the way to his bedroom. "I think it might have been a bit too much."

"You _think_? Harry you look like death came for you a few days ago! Why did you have to do it?"

"Because I have to learn it. That's the reason I wasn't killed when I arrived here. I'm an experiment, that's all. But that’s good enough for me."

They had reached Harry's bed so Draco helped him sit down and pull off his shoes before pushing Harry down and covering him with a blanket.

"I won't have to go downstairs tomorrow. Is it okay if we talk over breakfast? I think I can't explain anything anymore tonight," Harry mumbled, eyes already closing.

"Of course. Wake me up once you're awake so we can eat together."

"Hmm, good night Draco."

Draco wanted to answer but a small snore from Harry told him he wouldn't be heard anymore. Smiling down at him, Draco covered Harry's shoulders with the blanket before leaving for his own room.

The next morning he woke up to the smell of breakfast and something heavy sitting on his bed. Thankfully, his tired brain instantly knew who it was, which spared him the act of jumping for his wand and probably throwing all of their food on the floor.

"Hungry?" Harry asked, looking as if nothing had ever happened.

"Why did you bring the food in here?" Draco asked grumpily, eyeing the tray suspiciously.

"Never heard of breakfast in bed?"

"Of course I have, but I'm not an animal. I usually prefer to eat near a table."

"Not today. We're going to have breakfast in your bed, and you’ll have to sleep in the crumbs tonight."

"You can sleep here, I'll take your bed," Draco huffed as he sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"Not going to happen. Croissant?"

"Yes, please."

Draco couldn't help but watch Harry out of the corner of his eye, telling himself it was only to see that he didn't make too much of a mess.

After they finished eating Harry called for Chip to take the tray but stayed right where he was, signalling to Draco that he could leave for the bathroom. When he came back, Harry was still on his bed, waiting for him.

"So, like I said, I have to tell you something important. I'm going to tell you why I have to learn what only he can teach me."

Draco nodded and sat down, waiting for Harry to start.

"The Dark Lord did things, indescribable things, to make himself immortal. He created dark artefacts by splitting his soul and hiding the broken pieces in various objects, and as long as they exist, he can't die. Dumbledore told me about them, told me what to look for, and where they might be. And I told Ron and Hermione. At that time I didn't know what I was supposed to do—what I was supposed to give—to make all of this end. I only knew it had to be me who ended it."

Taking a deep breath, Harry plucked a piece of lint from his sleeve before looking back at Draco. "After Dumbledore's funeral I went to his office, I don't know why I did it, but something told me I had to go there. Just as I got there books started to fly through the room, knocking over a few things, including a small vial standing behind them. When I picked it up I saw my name on it and recognised what it was; a memory, neatly bottled up to never be seen. So I took it and dumped it into his Pensieve to see why he had a memory with my name on it, hidden behind books."

The look on Harry's face made Draco forget to breathe for a minute, he didn't dare to move, fearing Harry's uninhibited anger would unleash towards him if he dared to even blink.

"The memory showed him telling Snape that I had to die. That _I_ was the last piece that had to be destroyed to end this," Harry bit out. "But I'm not willing to die, not willing to give my life as a heroic sacrifice after he kept that secret from me. I just can't do that, and I know that's very selfish of me,but I'm not going to die. So I decided to come here as soon as the Order picked up the Muggles I lived with; in the meantime trying my best to implement what Snape taught me about Occlumency. I hoped that Ron and Hermione would go hunting for the Horcruxes even if I wasn't there, and you heard that they did. So there are three left, not two as they believe. The one in the Black vault, the snake, and me."

When Harry finished Draco could feel himself shaking. Feeling sick, he tucked his hands underneath his legs and thought of something to say. But he couldn't think of anything other than Harry apparently had to die.

"Why did you come here then?" Draco finally managed to say.

"I was hoping to find a way to remove the part of his soul without having to die. And I think I have figured a way out. But I can't be sure, not yet. I know it's dangerous, but would you go to the vault with me to look for the Horcrux so I can see if my theory works? I'd be invisible, only you'd know I was there with you so the risk is pretty small, otherwise I wouldn't ask you."

"Of course." Draco didn't even think twice about it. If he could help Harry by visiting a vault he'd do it, no matter how high the risk was for him.

"Are you sure? You know you can say no—I'm not him, I wouldn't force you into doing something you don't want to do."

"Yes, I'm sure. I know you're not him, and it's not about what you did for me. I spoke with my friends about you; all of them want to help but don't know how. Now that you’ve given me a way to do that I surely won't say no."

"You told the Slytherins? And they want to help?" Harry asked, surprised.

"They told me they thought the letter I sent was the notice I had died. I couldn't stay silent, not after everything they went through," Draco's voice broke and he buried his face in his arms so he wouldn’t have to see Harry's reaction to this. He couldn't take the pity he'd surely see there, maybe even anger, about him telling people where Harry was. He didn't even want to hear what Harry had to say about it but there was no way he could block that out as well.

For a few seconds nothing happened, then Harry's weight on the bed shifted and Draco startled as arms were wrapped around him and pulling him into a tight hug. "It's good you told your friends; it's good they want to help. They can help when we're done here, there'll be a lot to rebuild and I'll need everyone. But for now it's only the two of us."

Draco nodded before leaning into Harry's hug, resting his head on Harry's shoulder. He had no idea what he had to do, how long it might take and where it would lead them. But he knew as long as Harry was with him, he'd be fine.

They spent the rest of the day in their rooms, making plans and trying to find a plausible reason why he suddenly had to visit the vault after the holidays. Draco wasn't sure how Harry could follow him there undetected but Harry promised him that it wouldn't be a problem, and Draco trusted him.

When dinnertime came he and Harry had nearly finished their plans, everything was clear, except why Draco had to go to the vault. He was still hoping for a belated expensive gift from his parents since they hadn’t had time for that with all the trouble they’d had to face recently, so Draco prepared the gifts he had bought for them to take them downstairs for dinner.

It was the first time in weeks that they would be eating together since he usually stuck to eating with Harry in their rooms now. But now that he had a good reason to join them he didn't dread it as much, especially because Harry would accompany him.

"You look nervous," Harry said matter of factly.

"Because I am, you dork. Do you have any idea how Christmas dinner with my family usually ends? Every year my father tells me that I have to find a witch to get married to, and I tell him that I won't marry a witch. That's when my mother usually orders her second bottle of wine and my father starts screaming that it's not up to me to decide that and that I should be lucky that I'm allowed to choose the witch myself. I can always find another _friend_ to follow me through life as soon as I make the heir they need from me. Now that I'm of age it won't be better, only worse. There could be ten Dark Lords living here and they'd still make a fuss about that!" Draco was slightly out of breath after he finished his rant, but at least he had gotten it off of his chest before he had to meet his parents.

"I'm sure it'll be fine," Harry said. "And if your father can't behave I'll spell his mouth shut, if that helps. He already dislikes me so it wouldn't cause any more damage."

"I actually kind of like that idea." Huffing, Draco took the gifts and threw one last look at Harry, just to check if his clothes were fit for their table, before making his way through the Manor to dine with his family.

An hour later he found himself trapped in the same conversation as every year. Maybe even worse, because his father hadn't stopped after his first glass of wine and was now trying to drag Harry into his tirade about the importance of the right marriage.

What surprised Draco the most were the polite answers his father got from Harry; he was going so far as to agree with him over every point he made and even discussed possible families that were worthy to marry into. Only when it was time for dessert did Draco realise what Harry really had done.

By fully agreeing with every point, and asking questions himself, he had managed to drag his father's attention completely away from Draco, leaving him to enjoy his meal for the first time in years.

Looking up, he found his mother grinning over her wineglass at him and he couldn't help but smile back at her before diving into his chocolate mousse.

After the elves cleared the table, Draco ordered Chip to bring in the gifts he had bought in Diagon Alley. As always, his parents were full of praise for his good taste and how he always managed to get them the perfect thing, something that hadn't changed since he first gifted them his self-made art for Christmas. When it was their turn he was surprised to see that his mother had gotten something for Harry as well. Draco nearly laughed out loud when Harry opened it and revealed a new set of robes that could rival Severus’s.

Draco's gift was a beautiful set of books about various topics, including potions and charms, but nothing he would need to put into a vault. Though he wasn't too sorry about that, at least this gift was something he could really use.

Back in their rooms, Draco instantly went to the sofa and opened the first book to browse through it. But a quiet cough from Harry made him look up.

"I have a gift for you as well," Harry said, cheeks turning slightly pink as he did so. "It's nothing big, and I fear also not expensive enough to put it in a vault. But I thought you might like it."

"Where did you get a gift for me?" Draco asked, puzzled.

"I kind of made it myself, at least most of it. I ordered Chip to get me the stuff I needed from Diagon Alley."

"I have nothing for you," Draco said, already feeling like a fool.

"You already gave me half of your wardrobe, your second room, and a reason to not go insane in this house. I don't need anything else."

Pulling out a small square box from behind his back, he sat down next to Draco and handed it to him.

Not knowing what to say, Draco opened it with shaking hands and nearly dropped it when he found a delicate silver bracelet resting on a small cushion in it. Taking it carefully out he lifted it in front of his face to get a better look at it.

"You made this?" he asked breathless.

"Yes," Harry said, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. "I worked on it after you went to bed. It's covered in protection spells, and a direct link between us if you ever need my help; or you know, want to rant about your father while he's in the same room as you are. You just have to touch it with your other hand to talk to me. Do you like it?"

Draco nodded, not being able to find the right words for how much he loved this gift.

Giving the bracelet to Harry, he held his arm out so he could close it around his wrist. It instantly felt warm on his skin and Draco stared at it for another few seconds before jumping at Harry and pulling him into a bone crushing hug.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you! It's beautiful, I love it!"

"It should keep you safe from any curses that aren't Unforgivables. Those are something even I can't block with only one piece of jewellery. But it makes me sleep better at night, knowing that you'll be safe."

Draco could hear his heartbeat in his ears as he tried to suppress the tears already filling his eyes. This was the most beautiful and thoughtful gift he had ever received.

Letting go of Harry, he wiped his eyes and started to laugh, "We still have nothing for Gringotts."

"We'll make it up once we're there," Harry said, smiling at him. "Now we should probably go to bed. I have an early morning tomorrow and I can't go to the Dark Lord tired. Your father is really exhausting."

"I know. Thank you for taking one for the team tonight."

"I have to get on good terms with him," Harry said with a mischievous grin as he stood up and started to move towards his bedroom. "How else am I supposed to successfully woo his son?"

Winking at Draco, he closed the door behind him, leaving a shocked Draco to stare at nothing but air.

Shaking his head, Draco huffed and decided to test if the communication spell actually worked.

Touching the bracelet, he concentrated to send Harry his thought, _"Wanker."_

Hearing Harry's laugh in his head felt strange so Draco huffed again and let go of the bracelet. So much to _successfully wooing_ him. Harry really was a wanker.

Touching the bracelet again he thought: " _I'm going to take a bath so you better be out of the bathroom within five minutes."_

_"Of course my dear, whatever makes you happy. Come say goodnight before you go to bed."_

Harry's answer was instant, and even if the first part sounded slightly mocking, the second part didn't. Deciding it wouldn't hurt him to comply, Draco went to his bedroom to get a fresh pyjama set and made a mental note to say good night before going to bed.

* * *

 

"I'd like to visit my family’s vault. I have to store something in there that is of great value. I mean the Black one, not my father's."

Draco stared confidently at the goblin in front of him, leaving him no reason to question him about it. Giving the best impersonation of his father he could muster had always gotten him pretty far, even if he was barely the height of the goblins. So he wasn't surprised to see it work again.

The goblin nodded and ordered a younger one, who introduced himself as Iszeer, to take him to the Black vault.

Climbing into the cart, Draco made sure he took more time than necessary to give Harry time to get in behind him. So far it didn't seem that the Goblins had detected  him, and Draco hoped it would stay that way.

Reaching the lower parts of Gringotts, Draco felt the air get thicker around him. The strange smell in the air always reminded him of a crypt and he shuddered at the thought of what was hidden behind those guarded walls.

The cart came to a halt and Iszeer led Draco into the high hallways, only stopping to pick up two clankers for them.

"What are those for?" came Harry's whispered question from behind him.

Draco only shook his head before nodding towards the end of the hallway where quiet rustling and the sound of a chain being dragged over the floor sounded.

Iszeer started to shake his clanker as soon as he reached the archway and Draco joined in. The rustling got louder and a low growl echoed through the darkness. Suppressing a shudder, Draco stepped into the huge hall that contained the Black vault, along with nearly a dozen others.

"You can wait in the hallway after opening the vault, I'll send sparks when I'm done here," Draco barked at the Goblin, who looked at him darkly.

"Mr. Malfoy I am supposed to ensure nothing happens to our clients while they visit their—"

"This is _my_ vault, nothing will happen to me while I'm there. I don't need you to stick your nose in my business. You can check on me in thirty minutes if that makes you happy but otherwise I don't want to be disturbed."

"Of course, Mr. Malfoy." Iszeer pressed his free hand against the heavy gate and bowed before leaving Draco alone.

Stepping into the vault, he closed the gate far enough so nobody could see what was happening inside before spelling on the lights.

"Good work playing the arsehole," Harry said as he lifted the spell that made him invisible.

"I _am_ an arsehole, I don’t have to play for them."

"Tell that to yourself, Draco, but we both know that isn't the truth," Harry said, chuckling.

"Do what we came here for and stop pretending I'm nicer than I am," Draco huffed as he took a look around.

Placing the few expensive objects he had found that didn't mean anything to him in a corner, he sat down next to them to wait.

"It's definitely here. And you should totally clear this vault after the Dark Lord is dead, there are some objects I don't even want to look at—that's how dark they are," Harry said as he moved deeper into the vault.

"Yeah I know. You should see Greg's family vault, they had to transfer it to an even more secure part of Gringotts just to make sure nobody gets hurt if it blows up one day."

"I think I've found it. See that small golden cup on that shelf? That's it."

"That doesn't even look impressive enough to serve a semi-good wine in. Are you sure that's the right one?"

"Yes. Absolutely sure. If anything comes out of it, anything unexpected happens at all, I need you to stay cool. Only call for Iszeer when I tell you, or if I am about to die, yes?" Harry asked, his voice slightly shaking.

"Are you sure this will work?"

"No."

Pointing his wand at the cup, Harry started to mumble a spell Draco had never heard before. The air around them started to get staticky and small flashes jumped through the room as Harry repeated the spell over and over again.

At first it looked like nothing would happen but then the small golden cup started to shine in a diffuse green light. Suddenly there was a form growing out of it, the shadow of a man, gliding from the shelf towards Harry before turning its head towards Draco. A cold laugh made him shudder and look at the gate, but he stayed where he was.

"You know you can't save him, silly boy. And you can't destroy me. So what are you doing here?" the shadow said to Harry.

But Harry ignored it, only repeating the spell over and over again, wand pointed at the cup.

Suddenly the faceless shadow turned back to Draco, hovering closer this time as darkness stretched behind him like a coat, making Harry vanish in it.

"You also believe he can save you. Stupid boys. He's only nice to you because he thinks he'll need you at some point," the shadow said coldly. "What do you think will happen when he finishes what he's doing? That he'll stay with you? Someone as weak as you?"

Draco's heart raced in his chest as he listened to the shadow. His body refused to move, he couldn't even turn his head to look at something else, anything else would be better than this.

"The only reason he's keeping you safe is because it's easier for him to stay at the Manor that way. But as soon as he can, he'll be gone. You're worthless: for your family, and for him."

Draco knew the shadow was right, knew he was more of a burden than a help. There wasn't a single logical reason why Harry put up with him at all. Not a single one, except that, if he did, his life was easier in the Manor. Draco was a nice distraction after all. Spending time with him, taking him outside to fly—

"If you stop him he'll stay. He has to stay, because there is nowhere for him to go. That's the only way. You know it's true. He didn't want to be your friend—not on your first day of school, and not in the years after that. You were nothing to him, and you still are. Do you really want to lose the small bit you have now?"

Draco didn't, he really didn't want to lose what they had now. Didn't want to lose Harry.

"Stop him. Do it. Now!"

Draco reached for the wand in his sleeve; pulling it out and stopping Harry from leaving him would be so easy. But something stopped him. Something warm grazing the tip of his fingers.

The bracelet.

Closing his eyes, Draco pressed his fingers against it.

_"Don't listen to him. Don't listen to him. Please, whatever he's saying, don't listen. I'm nearly done, it's nearly over."_

_"Harry?"_

_"Draco? Thank god! Please don't listen to him! He'd say anything to survive!"_

_"He told me to stop you, that I'm useless. He told me that you'll leave me."_

_"I'd never leave you, Draco. Please don't listen to him!"_

Draco took a deep, shaking breath and opened his eyes. The shadow was hovering right in front of his face, everything behind it drenched in an unnatural darkness that he knew he'd see again in one of his nightmares. But it didn't stop him from staring at it, didn't stop him from believing that Harry wouldn't leave him.

"Do it boy, now!" the shadow screeched.

But Draco dropped his hands to the floor and didn't move.

"No."

An ear-piercing scream burst through the vault as the shadow moved back towards the cup, but, before it could reach it, the connection between them broke and dust filled the air around them.

Coughing, Draco sank back against the wall, trying to make out Harry in the midst of the grey cloud surrounding him, but he couldn't find him. Burying his face in his arms, he waited for the dust to settle.

"Draco? Are you alright?"

Looking up, he saw Harry quickly kneeling down in front of him and he nodded.

"Thank Merlin. I never thought he'd go after you, I'm so sorry that happened!"

"Did it work? Is it gone?" Draco breathed out.

Looking over his shoulder, Harry waited for a second before turning back to him. "Yes. He's gone. And the cup is still intact. So it seems like I _can_ remove the part of his soul inside me without dying!"

"If you don't get invisible soon there won't be anything left to remove. If the goblin comes back and sees you here—"

"Thirty minutes haven't passed. And this vault has so many spells around it that the goblin won't have heard a single thing. We'll be fine," Harry said, smiling.

"Good. Let's get out of here nevertheless. I need a bath. And ten years of sleep."

Chuckling, Harry pointed his wand at himself and cast the spell to make him invisible again. After Draco checked that every trace of Harry was gone he shot sparks towards the goblin and started to shake his clanker while waiting outside of the vault to get picked up.

Suddenly the dragon wasn't that much of a threat to him any more.

* * *

 

Draco watched his door nervously, waiting for Harry to come back. His meeting with the Dark Lord would decide if their plan stood or fell, depending on if he noticed the loss of another Horcrux; and if so, if he knew which one.

Giving up on reading one of the books he got from his parents, Draco stood and started to pace the room. The temptation to touch the bracelet and check in with Harry was big, but he didn't dare to, in case he wasn't the only one in Harry's mind.

Suddenly the door crashed open and Harry stormed in. Leaving no time for questions, he pulled Draco into his bedroom and locked the door behind them with a strong charm.

"Harry? What happened? Does he know?"

"No. He only feels a bit off and has no idea why. But they are planning to attack the Burrow tonight, and he's going with them. They found out that it's the headquarters of the Order."

Draco stared at him, already knowing what that meant.

They had to end this. Tonight.

"What can I do?" Draco asked.

"Shield charms. I need two: one around me and one around you for whatever comes out of me. Do you think you can manage that?"

Draco felt the colour drain from his face. There was no way he could hold up two shields at once, especially not if the thing coming out of Harry was as bad as the last one. Panic started to spread through his body and made him freeze as he tried to figure out a way to make this possible.

"Draco?" Harry asked carefully.

Suddenly a realisation hit him and he snapped back to reality. "The others! I can't do it alone, but my friends can help! And they can help at the Burrow too! Give me ten minutes. That's enough time to get them here and spread the news to the right people!"

"We don't have the—"

"We have the time. And the Burrow will be warned. What more could you hope for?"

Harry looked at him for a second before he nodded and sat down on the bed.

"You'll see, it'll work!" Draco said as he ran out of the room to Floo Pansy.

Ten minutes later he was back, together with Pansy and Greg, while Vince and Blaise were trying everything possible to get to the Burrow to warn them about the upcoming attack.

"Nice to see you alive and healthy, Potter," Pansy said as she entered the room where Harry still sat on the bed.

"Let's see if it stays that way." Looking at Draco he couldn't really hide his doubt for a second and Draco started to shake.

"Let's get started, I want to get back to Vince to help them," Greg huffed, placing himself behind Draco.

"You know what to do?" Harry asked the others. "I need two shields; you have to stand in front of that door, I sealed the other door. It can't get out of here, and can't get to you. As long as nobody moves, things will be fine."

Two wands appeared from behind him and Draco took a deep breath before pulling out his own. One of them would shield Harry, one of them would shield their group, and Draco would throw additional shield charms to both sides. That was the plan, and he hoped it would work.

_"Don't you dare die on me, Harry. We're not done here,"_ Draco thought, pressing the bracelet so hard he felt it cut into his skin.

_"I'll try my best. If not, I'll see you on the other side, Draco."_

After that their connection broke and Draco tried his best to swallow around the lump in his throat as he pointed his wand at Harry.

The spell was the same he had used at the vault, but this time it wasn't a mumble. This time Harry said the words loud and clear, sure of himself, repeating them over and over again, while they held the shields in place.

Draco was waiting for the shadow to appear again; waiting for the darkness to take over the room, the voice to fill his head, manipulating any weakness he had.

But it didn't happen. Instead of the faceless shadow a snake coiled out of Harry, wrapping itself around the shield in a deadly hug.

This happened so painfully slowly that Draco wanted to rush to his side and pull the beast away, but realised that that might get him killed. So he stayed where he was and held his shield in place, strengthening Pansy's.

A deep chorus of hissing and something he could only describe as a growl suddenly filled the room and Draco's hand started to shake. It was clear to him that whatever the thing was doing, it was directed at Harry and wouldn’t bother them. And by the look on Harry's face, the snake was even worse than the shadow.

Pain rushed over his face, followed by regret, and fear, and Draco couldn't stand to watch it, couldn't take seeing him like that. Not after all these months where Harry's face was typically unreadable, or worried at most.

But he couldn't help him. He had to hold the shield up.

"Draco—" Pansy's voice from behind him sounded just as worried as he felt but he only shook his head and hoped she understood that they couldn't do anything but wait till it was over—and hope for the best.

When the growling grew louder Draco knew it'd be over soon. The force working against their shields increased so much he had trouble holding his arm straight but he didn't give in.

A sudden burst of power made the snake explode into a million pieces and Harry was thrown onto the bed, where he landed, unmoving.

"Harry?" Draco stepped closer but he wasn't sure if he wanted to see what was waiting for him there.

Reaching the bed, he looked down at Harry—his face had lost all of its colour and he still wasn't moving; Draco wasn't even sure if he was breathing. The world around him started to blur and his breath came out in short puffs as he dropped to his knees and stared at Harry, unsure of what he was waiting for.

A twitch of Harry's hand made his head shoot up again, hoping he hadn't imagined it. A low groan from the bed was all Draco needed to jump up and throw himself onto Harry, pulling him into a tight hug, deciding to never let go of him again.

"Draco?" Harry's mumbled voice sounded, and Draco started to sob. "Hey, it's alright. I'm fine. Just knocked out for a second."

"You arsehole! I thought you died!" Draco choked out.

"I'm fine. Thanks for keeping me safe. We're pretty even now, don't you think?" Harry huffed as he sat up.

Only then did Draco remember his friends were still standing somewhere behind him. Hastily he got up, trying to save what was left of his dignity. But only one look at Pansy's shit-eating grin told him that it was a lost case.

"Thank you two for helping as well."

"I hope it's okay if we don't jump you, Potter? We don't want to smash Draco by landing on top of him, you know?" Pansy said, laughing.

"I'd appreciate if you let him live, thanks," Harry answered, grinning. "We should leave for the Burrow. I won't be missed, he doesn't want to take me with them."

Ignoring Pansy, Draco turned back to Harry and looked at him closely. "Are you sure you can fight him tonight? This cost you a lot of energy, you could lose against him."

"As soon as the snake is dead he's just a weak wizard, not able to keep himself alive anymore. We have to get rid of Nagini first."

"Can we go and meet the others then? The more time we have the better. The Carrows taught us some nice tricks I'd love to help Vince with," Greg said, already moving towards the other room.

"Let's hope they haven't blocked their Floo, otherwise we'll be in trouble. Potter, can you take us through the ward? We can't Apparate out of here," Pansy said, looking serious again.

Harry nodded at her before smiling at Draco. Holding his hand out to help Harry up, Draco smiled back and pulled him on his feet. Feeling Harry's thumb stroke over his hand before he let go, Draco's smile only widened.

They all pressed together into the Floo and held onto Harry as he called out "The Burrow!" and with a rush they were dragged away.

Arriving at the Burrow felt like stepping off the train in Kings Cross. How so many people could fit in such a small place was a mystery to Draco. But what surprised him even more was that nobody asked any questions about where Harry had been the past few months or why he had dragged a bunch of Slytherin's in here.

Everyone was planning their final moves while Mrs. Weasley handed out sandwiches and told them off for some of the more ridiculous ideas they had before rushing out of the house.

"Harry! We never thought we’d get to see you this soon again! We have fangs!" Granger panted as she came rushing into the small kitchen.

"Fangs?" Harry asked, just as puzzled as Draco felt.

"Fangs! Basilisk fangs! To destroy the Horcrux! Have you learned anything at all while you’ve been there?"

"I learned how to destroy a Horcrux without destroying the shell, thank you. But I'm sure that won't work with Nagini, she'd have to keep still."

"See. Fangs. Should be easy. Anything else we need to know before this goes down?"

"How about becoming invisible? They can't hurt you if they can't see you. I can cast the spell on as many people as I want."

"You can do that? Like Dumbledore did? That's quite impressive, Harry. I'll get the others. Start with Draco and his Slytherins, they'll be the first ones under attack if someone sees them here."

With that, Granger rushed out of the door again and Draco looked after her, surprised. He hadn't even thought of that, but she was right.

"Use the bracelet if you need me. I'll find you, no matter what happens," Harry breathed before pointing his wand at him.

A strange feeling rushed through him, like a cold waterfall running through his veins and bones, and when Draco looked down his body was gone.

Not seeing himself was something that was tricky to get used to; the first minutes were dominated by him stumbling around as if he'd drunk a bottle of whisky on his own. But at least he knew he wasn't the only one having trouble adjusting to the sensation because he crashed into three other bodies on his way out of the Burrow.

"Everyone cast _Lumos_! That way I can find you!" Granger said loudly, drowning out the whispers around her. "You'll get each a fang—be careful with it because one little poke will kill you! If anyone sees Nagini, Voldemort’s snake, stab her with it. That's the only way we can end this!"

Shortly after Granger was done sharing the fangs, Harry gave the command to cast _Nox_ and prepare for the arrival.

The night grew silent around them as they waited. Draco could hear the rustling of the gnomes, digging paths through the snow, and the quiet breaths of Harry next to him.

Closing his eyes he concentrated on taking deep breaths while gripping his wand so tightly it hurt. This would end tonight, finally. And if he was lucky enough, he'd get to see it.

Reaching out, he touched the bracelet, his fingers grazing the warm metal as he welcomed Harry into his head.

_"Do you think this will work?"_ Draco asked, not opening his eyes.

_"I hope it does."_

_"Yeah me too."_

_"Nothing will happen to you, Draco. I promised you I wouldn't let that happen, and I'll make sure to keep that promise."_

_"Don't. Whatever happens just make sure this ends. I'll do my best to help you."_

Footsteps from outside the garden made him open his eyes. Shadows were moving towards them, many of them. And Draco shuddered with every crunch their boots made in the snow.

Suddenly a warm hand wrapped around his own, chasing the coldness out of his body, and Draco relaxed a bit.

The shadows moved around the Burrow, closing them in until they were surrounded by an unnatural darkness. A hysterical laugh sounded, supported by a _Sonorous_ , and Draco heard the voice of his aunt echo through the night.

_"Morsmordre!"_

The Dark Mark shot into the air, filling the area with a creepy green twilight that made the faces of the Death Eaters surrounding them glow unhealthily. They looked like corpses, moving towards them with painfully slow steps. Being too sure about getting what they wanted.

"We know you're in there, spare us the trouble and put down your wands and join us. You can't win this, you have nothing left to fight for," the Dark Lord's voice boomed, being everywhere and nowhere at once.

Nobody moved. Draco couldn't hear anything besides the noises of the Death Eaters around them.

A single curse flashed through the darkness, rebounding on the invisible shield surrounding the Burrow. And Draco knew it was beginning.

Suddenly hundreds of curses rushed through the air, mixing their light with the glowing Morsmordre over their heads. It was barely five minutes before the shield was broken, leaving them unprotected.

With one last squeeze, Harry's hand slipped away from Draco's and he instantly knew what to do.

Ducking out of the curse line, Draco crept closer to the moving shadows. Hearing feather-light steps on both of his sides, he knew he wasn't alone.

With his heart beating in his throat, Draco slipped through the ring of shadows.

An open battle would be their end, there weren't enough of them to win that. So they had to be quiet, taking the Death Eaters out one after one until someone noticed their silent attack.

Reaching his target, Draco pointed his wand at them and petrified them before moving on to the next one. Like that, he managed to take down four Death Eaters before someone noticed what was happening.

Suddenly the air was filled with flashes of light and panic broke loose as the Death Eaters realised they were under attack from something they couldn't see.

The air around him felt staticky as Draco ducked between misfired curses and moved through the shadows.

"What is this? WHAT IS—" the voice broke off as Draco hit them with a body bind and they crashed onto the ground.

He had to find the snake; had to find Harry. Time was running out, soon the Dark Lord would make sure nothing happened to her, taking away their chance to end this.

Swallowing hard, he tried to keep his breathing quiet. His whole body felt stiff, heavier than usual, but he kept on moving, his pulse drumming in his ears. This was their only chance.

Something sharp hit his leg and threw him to the ground. Pain shot through his body, making him feel like he was burning from the inside out. Turning on his back, Draco blinked through the fog covering his vision, just to find himself face-to-face with Nagini.

Her head hovered above him as she let out a hiss and prepared another strike for her invisible prey. That she couldn't see him was the only thing that gave him enough time to act.

Fumbling around, he found the pocket of his cloak and pulled out the basilisk fang he had gotten from Granger. Just as Nagini snapped forward again Draco's hand thrust up, and with one quick strike he rammed the fang into her gaping jaw.

Smoke exploded around him, blinding him fully, and a scream similar to the one in the vault echoed through his head. Dropping his arm to the ground, he reached for the bracelet with shaking fingers.

_"It's done. Kill him, end this."_

He couldn't wait for an answer. Closing his eyes, Draco welcomed the darkness surrounding him, letting it lure him into the promise of leaving the pain and fear behind.

* * *

 

The first thing Draco noticed when he woke up was that it was unnaturally bright around him. His whole body felt sore as he moved his head a few inches to see where he was.

A bed, a chair, white walls. The realisation of where he was hit him when he saw the closed door with the small window in it. St. Mungo’s. He had made it out alive and was at Mungo's. He was alone and all his stuff was gone, even the bracelet Harry had given him.

A sudden panic overcame him as he remembered his last moments at the Burrow. He had no idea what had happened after he passed out; had no idea if Harry had heard him.

An alarm went off and someone came rushing into his room, slamming the door open with so much force it crashed against the wall and bounced back.

"You're awake!"

Draco focused on the face above him. Realising it was Pansy, he let out a relieved breath. She had a big, nearly healed, cut on her face but otherwise seemed fine.

"What happened, Pans? Is everyone—?"

"Everyone is fine. Nothing that can't be fixed with some rest. The Dark Lord is dead, Potter killed him. He saw you lying on the ground next to Nagini and he positively exploded. It looked like he, and everything around him, was engulfed in flames as he marched up to the Dark Lord and held him at wand point."

"Where is he?" Draco asked with shaking voice.

"Nobody has seen him since he killed the Dark Lord. He made sure you'd survived and then Apparated away."

Draco didn't need to hear more. He tried to get up to leave but Pansy pushed him back into his pillow.

"You stay right here, mister. You slept for three days straight and nearly died thanks to Nagini. The healers will be here soon, but without their okay you're going nowhere."

"But I have to find him! Three days? Pansy he could be Merlin-knows-where, he could be hurt!"

"I know you want to find him. I don't know what happened between the two of you over the last couple of months but I'm not blind. Nevertheless, you can't leave until they let you go."

Draco closed his eyes and buried his face in his hands. Hopefully the healers would be here soon. He needed to get his bracelet back and find Harry.

It felt like hours had passed by the time the door opened again and stopped Pansy's tale of what had happened over the last couple of days. Sitting up straight, Draco stared at the healer in front of him.

"Good to see you awake, Mr. Malfoy. How are you feeling? Does anything hurt?" the woman asked with a soft voice.

"I'm fine, nothing hurts. When can I leave?"

Draco could swear the healer and Pansy both rolled their eyes in a shared moment that felt like "told you so", but he didn't really care. He only wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible.

"We'll run a few tests. After that you’ll have to get up and prove me you can walk on your own without too much of a limp. And then we'll see. Maybe in two hours, unless your results are bad, then you'll have to stay for another night."

At Draco's annoyed huff the woman pinned him down with a stern look."You're very lucky to be alive, Mr. Malfoy. You're only here because all the spells on your charmed bracelet stopped the venom from doing even more damage. Sadly, it also stopped us from healing you so we had to take it off. You'll get it back once you can leave, no worries. But for now you have to stay right here while I do my work."

Nodding, Draco leaned back and waited for her to cast all the monitoring spells on him before she left. He was feeling just fine, all this stuff was a waste of time to him. But at least he could leave soon.

Watching the quill noting down all his results as the spell checked him from head to toe, he started to worry again.

"Pans? What happened to my parents?"

"Your father is in Azkaban. Nobody knows where your mother is. Knowing her, I bet she ran off to France or Italy. Somewhere with nice wine and a lot of sun."

"Good. Yes she has a house in France that she kept a secret, not even I know where it is. She'll be fine. Father is lucky he's still alive; let's just see for how long."

After that they fell back into silence. The time felt slower here, every minute ticking by felt like a lifetime to him. He wasn't sure how long he had waited but when the healer finally came back she was carrying a tray of food that she shoved into his hands. Ordering him to eat, she sat down on a quickly conjured chair and started to study his results, accompanied by little 'hmms' and 'huhs'.

Draco had the suspicion that she knew what was up with him as soon as she sat down, but refused to give him an answer until he finished his plate. So he gulped everything down as fast as possible. And lo and behold, as soon as the last bread crumpet vanished into his mouth she stood up and looked at him.

"Time to get out of bed. Let's see if you can walk. Your leg had some damage that we couldn't fix that easily; everything grew back but you'll probably have a limp for a while and it might hurt you for even longer."

"Well it's still there and I'm alive, I'll take it the way it is. I don't care."

"Let's see how it works then," the healer said, clapping her hands together. "Move your legs slowly, and try to get on your feet."

Draco did as told and flinched as pain shot through his body. Taking a second, he took a deep breath and got on his feet, carrying most of his weight on his uninjured leg.

"Good, getting up works. Now take a few steps, I'll catch you if you fall."

Gritting his teeth, he thought of Harry and took a careful step forward. It hurt, but it was bearable. He had to find Harry, had to know if he was okay. And he couldn't do that if he had to stay here. Using all his willpower he slowly walked to the door and then back to his bed, where he stopped and turned back to his healer, looking at her expectantly.

"You need a crutch. If you promise me you'll use it, for your own safety, you can leave as soon as I get your papers ready."

"Yes!" Draco nearly screamed at her, but the woman only giggled and shook her head as she left.

"You have one week to find him, Draco. One week. If I haven't heard from you by then I'll find you and hex you back into this room!" Pansy said, before giving him a tight hug.

She didn't wait for an answer. Letting go of him, she left through the door and Draco was alone again.

A few minutes later a bag with his cleaned clothes appeared and Draco started to get dressed, waiting for the healer to come back with his wand and his bracelet.

When she finally did, Draco was already waiting by the door.

"Your crutch," she said, while handing it to him, "your wand, your bracelet. All there. Need help putting that on?"

"Please, it only works when I wear it."

Fastening the bracelet around his wrist, she smiled up at him and patted his hand when she was done. "I want you to come back if your leg gets worse. You can Apparate from the hall downstairs, or use the Floo network on this floor. Good luck, Mr. Malfoy."

"Thank you, Mrs.?"

"Wood, my dear."

"Thank you, Mrs. Wood."

Leaning on his crutch, he left the ward as quickly as possible, ignoring the pain in his leg. He took the lift downstairs and followed the signs towards the Apparating hall, where he stopped and leaned against a wall.

Shifting his weight onto his uninjured leg Draco closed his eyes and finally touched his bracelet.

_"Harry?"_

The answer came instantly. _"Draco! How are you?"_

_"I'm fine, I'll survive. Just a bit slow on my feet. Where are you?"_

_"Are you somewhere you can Apparate?"_

_"Yes."_

_"Follow the pull."_

Draco felt a pull behind his navel, taking a deep breath, he held his crutch and Apparated straight away.

When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in front of a small cottage in the middle of a forest. It looked straight out of a fairytale, the snow glistening on the trees around him and he heard nothing but silence.

The front door opened and Draco's heart beat faster as he spotted Harry almost running towards him.

When Harry reached him, Draco pulled him into a hug, deciding he really would never let go of him again.

"What do you think of this place?" Harry asked.

"It's perfect. Let's stay here forever."

"That's the plan, as long as you'll stay with me."

Draco let go of him so he could look at Harry's face. He tried to see if he really meant that, not trusting his own ears anymore. "Really? You want me to stay with you?"

"Yes. Please stay with me, Draco. Let's finally be happy, together."

Smiling, Draco leaned in and pressed his lips against Harry's. He couldn't believe his luck as he felt Harry melt against him, opening his mouth to deepen the kiss.

When they finally parted, Draco was shivering—he didn’t know if it was from the cold or because of Harry, but he didn't care. This was perfect, and nothing could take this from him anymore.

"Let's go inside," Harry said before picking him up from the ground as if he didn't weigh anything. "You have to take a look at our house."

Burying his face in Harry's neck, Draco laughed. He felt tears stinging his eyes and he did nothing to hold them back.

The war was over, they had survived. Now their time to be happy had arrived.

* * *

 

**Author's Note:**

> I would love it if you leave a comment or kudos for my fic 💜
> 
>  
> 
> [Visit me on tumblr!](https://gnarf.tumblr.com/)


End file.
